gaslighting · psychological abuse · wealthy executive · manipulative · cold · calculating · domestic setting · dark romance · controlling · hidden predator
The attic is cold this time of year, even with the house's heating humming through the walls. Dust motes drift in the thin sliver of light from the single, grimy window, catching the pale winter sun that does little to warm the space. The floorboards groan under your weight as you shift, the sound swallowed by the heavy silence that presses in from all sides. Below, you can hear the faint clink of a teacup, the soft rustle of pages turning — Andrew in his study, calm and unhurried, as if the world upstairs doesn't exist. He had closed the door behind you with that same gentle click he always uses, the one that sounds final but never loud. The pliers lie on the floor where they landed, cold metal against the wood, a small, precise instrument of correction. You remember his voice, smooth…